Remote operations
Marc Prempain
15 April 2024
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Vehicle inspections are often conducted by rental car companies, car dealerships or auctions, and insurance companies. These inspections are necessary for various reasons, whether for insurers to assess vehicle damage after an accident or to repair a vehicle that has broken down. Virtual vehicle inspections have recently become a popular way to perform the inspection process without requiring the inspector to travel to the vehicle’s location.
In this case, “virtual” is defined as a remote connection via video call. There are several benefits of this technology. Virtual inspections don’t require the inspector to travel to the site of the vehicle, which saves fuel costs and reduces CO2 emissions. Since one inspector can perform more inspections, this reduces personnel costs. Now that we have explained the benefits of this technology, what is virtual vehicle inspection exactly?
Virtual vehicle inspection uses live-streaming technology to allow a trained mechanic or a certified inspector to complete vehicle inspections virtually. For example, if a customer has an accident, they can call their insurance company. The insurance company’s inspector will assess vehicle condition, including the extent of damage to the vehicle. In other cases, customers whose cars have broken down can use this technology to call inspectors who will determine each vehicle’s condition, including the identification of issues that warrant a tow truck.
Let’s take a quick view of a photo-guided vehicle inspection solution. ViiBE’s suite of features is designed to facilitate virtual inspections by simplifying the video call process and letting the inspector focus on their work. It allows customers with a vehicle issue to easily capture vehicle photos without the presence of custom equipment. ViiBE is download-free and works well with any hardware. The laser pointer feature allows the inspector to superimpose a red dot on the live video feed to guide them through the inspection process. With ViiBE, it is effortless to capture and share photos and documents with the inspection. ViiBE’s solution empowers your company to efficiently and affordably assist your customers.
As for a conventional inspection, virtual vehicle inspectors must be properly certified. Vehicle inspectors have a checklist to identify vehicle damage and mechanical issues. They look for pre-existing damage to the exterior, interior, and mechanical components of the vehicle. It is crucial to identify any problems that could negatively impact the roadworthiness of the vehicle. Since cars depreciate over time, it is essential to evaluate the extent of damage accurately to put a monetary value on the damage caused. Even minor issues such as cosmetic damage must be noted to give an accurate view of the vehicle’s condition.
Compared to a conventional inspection, there should be no difference in quality or thoroughness in the inspection. The only difference between a virtual inspection and a conventional one should be the virtual connection.
Artificial Intelligence is spreading throughout many different industries, and vehicle inspections are no different. Tools like CCC Quick View, Ravin, and ProovStation have brought AI to auto inspections. CCC’s AI-enabled auto inspections can assess the vehicle condition, including the identification of pre-existing damage. This is accomplished using AI-enabled photo analytics and damage detection heatmaps. The moment photos are received, CCC conducts photo analytics and damage assessment using an AI database. ProovStation requires a physical structure to scan the vehicle as it drives through, which is practical for companies with large fleets of vehicles such as rental agencies.
AI technology enhances the inspector’s capabilities when working remotely, but they can’t completely replace their situational awareness and know-how. Customers experiencing a vehicle breakdown may prefer to speak to a human inspector rather than a chatbot or an AI-enabled app.
While AI has some impressive results for analyzing vehicle damage, it is not a one-size-fits-all approach. AI tools are most effective when used alongside video assistance for situations requiring human assistance. ViiBE’s suite of solutions can be customized to your company’s needs. Its knowledge management tool organizes and stores the documents and photos shared in a call. It helps inspectors access reference documents and past customer interactions. The ticketing solution can organize multiple calls from the same customer under one ticket and uses tags to track issues easily. Past calls can easily be accessed in the knowledge base for training purposes. This approach allows for full traceability and simplifies quality control of past inspections.
Allianz Partners has implemented ViiBE for virtual vehicle inspection. This has saved over 5,000 tow-truck trips and reduced the company’s carbon emissions by an estimated 93 metric tons in one year alone. With a simple web link sent to their smartphone, customers are quickly connected to an agent who can assess their situation. Allianz Partners can promptly determine whether the vehicle needs to be towed or not, bringing peace of mind to their customers.
Liebr uses ViiBE to connect customers experiencing mechanical difficulties with two-wheeled vehicles to a mechanic. The mechanic asks the motorcycle owner to show them various mechanical components to troubleshoot the problem. This approach allows the mechanic to determine whether the problem can be repaired on the spot or if it is safe for the motorcycle rider to continue to the closest garage. ViiBE has empowered Liebr to increase first call resolution rates and improve customer satisfaction.
These two examples show how ViiBE’s solution applies to vehicle inspections for both large and small businesses. This flexibility is at the core of ViiBE’s design. ViiBE can integrate into an existing call center’s software or provide you with a bespoke virtual call center.
Virtual vehicle inspections enable customer issues to be resolved faster while reducing the cost of dispatching inspectors. ViiBE effortlessly facilitates your upgrade to virtual inspections without needing to purchase cumbersome equipment or download any software. It has proven its worth in virtual vehicle inspections for large customers like Allianz. ViiBE has also been implemented for remote visual inspections in other industries. It has reduced on-site trips by air conditioner manufacturer Daikin’s technicians by 46%. ViiBE’s flexible suite of solutions can be customized to your company’s size and use case. Thanks to ViiBE, it has never been easier to make the switch to virtual vehicle inspections.
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